Juanfran Funes warns: Málaga needs “blood, sweat and tears”

Málaga CF face a big test at La Rosaleda this Thursday against Villarreal, looking to claim their first win since returning to LaLiga EA Sports, as Mundo Deportivo reports. Málaga coach Juanfran Funes believes the match will be demanding: Villarreal may not be in their best moment, but they have a Champions-level squad.

Pressure and finishing

Funes expects his side will need to score more than once to win, pointing to Villarreal’s offensive numbers. He says they are “averaging more than 15 shots per game” and calls their interior play “tremendous”. Still, he adds that while the stats suggest they should be in the Champions race, their performances have been “inconsistent”.

The Málaga boss also underlines that getting into the box isn’t the issue by itself. The problem is how often those chances turn into goals. He argues the team is creating well and even getting enough volume—“we’re averaging more than ten shots”—but they must improve their shot “determination”. As an example, he notes that they hit six corners in a recent match while the Celta had one; the goal now is that from roughly ten or twelve attempts, four or five should reach the target rather than just two.

Survival takes time

Funes keeps stressing that survival will be “hard” and a “long” road for Málaga, and frames the message as a long-distance effort. He puts it bluntly: the plan needs commitment because it will “probably cost blood, sweat and tears”.

Return that helps

On the squad side, Mundo Deportivo highlights the value of Adrián Niño’s return, who already scored at Balaídos. Even so, Funes insists the bigger task is turning the dominance into goals—against a Villarreal side he warns can be elite if they sustain the same intensity they showed in their opening period versus Real Betis.

Source: Mundo Deportivo.